On October 4, 2007 Municipal Court Judge Teresa Carr Deni threw out all rape charges in a case in which a 20-year-old single mother had been held at gunpoint and repeatedly sexually assaulted by four men.

Why? Because the victim originally agreed to have sex for money with one of the men, Deni felt justified in declaring the incident consensual. In fact, she stated that referring to the situation as rape “minimizes true rape cases and demeans women who are really raped”

The Philadelphia Bar Association has stated that they “cannot imagine any circumstances more violent or coercive than being forced to have sex with four men at gunpoint” and that Deni’s “decision in this case was based on a pre-existing bias” and “a clear disregard of the legal definition of rape and the rule of law in this case.”

On Tuesday, November 6, 2007 please vote NO on Judge Teresa Carr Deni’s retention in the Philadelphia Municipal Court System.